Google Earth

Google Earth is a free program that maps the earth down to the street level in 3D, showing landmarks. Check out the Grand Canyon or the Forbidden City....

The Google community has also designed 3D architecture and buildings with Google SketchUp, a free 3D drawing program that can be superimposed on the earth view. These buildings are found in the 3D Warehouse. Check out a big city like Chicago.

Photos taken by others can also be seen with the integration with Panoramio. Your pictures can be posted to Google Earth.

You can mark your destinations and then play them back like a movie, so your family gatherings to see your vacation pictures can be shown with Google Earth.

Every student is aware of Google Earth and its ability to show landmarks down to the street level. Their first attempt is to look at their home address and look at their neighborhood.

Add text boxes with information and provide links to news articles or other websites to describe your project information.
GoogleEarthInfoBox.jpg
http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/


Google Earth Download, .kmz files

How easy is it to add an overlay file?
1. Download Google Earth and make sure you can open it. Type in a zip code or and watch as Google Earth takes you to the location
2. Download the file that ends with .kmz file to a folder. I called mine GoogleEarthFiles. When the download completes, open it.
3. Google Earth with open, and on the left, you will see the file in Places-->temporary places.
4. If you want to keep the overlay, when you close Google Earth, it will ask you, and then it moves the file from temporary to My places. 5.You can turn off or turn on each overlay by clicking the box under my places.

Google Earth Background

Wikipedia provides background and other information about Google Earth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Earth

Google Earth for the classroom

Description:
Website:
Literature
Website
Use Google Earth to trace the path of the story. Several downloads are available for Novels like: "Macbeth", "My Brother Sam is Dead". Write your summaries and comments at each site.
http://www.googlelittrips.org/
Discovery has built a virtual tour of all important National Parks and major sites through tags on the earth and videos. Download the.kmz file and open to see the list of sites available.
http://dsc.discovery.com/videogalleries/exploretheworld/exploretheworld.html?clik=www_quiz_1
Website by subject, Art, History, Literature, Science, providing .kmz files ready to be used with Google Earth:
http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/dherring/ge/googleearth.htm
Google has established Google Earth for education and has provided some lesson plans for students to trace important historical events such as the ride of Paul Revere.
http://www.google.com/educators/p_earth_discovery.html
Timezones .kmz file:
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2005/12/more_gis_data_f.html
Solar System .kmz file:
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2007/07/the_solar_system_in.html
Also, check the Google Earth Blog that discusses all the capabilities of Google Earth, and links to the overlay files (.kmz) needed.
http://www.gearthblog.com/





Another site with more Google Earth Trips:
http://www.westhamptonbeach.k12.ny.us/teachers/cohen/sciweb/earthscience/google_earth/google_earth_tours.htm

Lesson Plan & Ideas


  • Teach CAD using SketchUp by having students draw a structure of intereest to them. Those that are done well can be added to the Google Earth 3D Warehouse.
  • Teach longitude and latitude using the grid.(view-->grid)
  • Teach timezones, UTC, GMT with overlay map for global time zones, populations . Download World Designer file from http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/212964/page/vc. Open the file, and it overlays Google Earth with the timezone map.
  • Have students go to destinations being taught, and have them see where it is on the globe, and look for landmarks. Use the "Play Tour" buttons below the Places pane to play and pause each placemark in order. On Toolbar: Turn on the "Tools->Options->Touring->Show balloon when tour is paused" option.
  • Have students mark and trace the trail of Lewis and Clark, the Holocaust, or the Civil War, stopping and looking at landmarks like Gettysburg. On Toolbar: Add placemark, and have students provide information and references for each important stop.


References

Photo's
http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/edit.php?pic=http://static.flickr.com/58/195951318_7d6f1680ba_m.jpg&pid=195951318&s=7d6f1680ba&a=www.flickr.com/photos/19381311@N00/195951318